Blood Pressure Meds on Watch

English scientists have discovered a connection between a popular form of blood pressure medication and cancer. A study of 60,000 people taking angiotensin-receptor blockers, or ARBs, showed a 1% increase in breast, prostate and lung cancer. While the risk is modest, it's statistically significant and could have outsize effects. "The risk for the individual patient is modest," said Dr. Ilke Sipahi, the main author of the study. "However, when you look at it from the population level, millions and millions of people are on these drugs and it can cause a lot of excess cancer worldwide." Sipahi says he's now more cautious to prescribe ARBs, though he realizes that the risk of not taking the medication far outweighs the chances of acquiring cancer for many patients. The company that manufactures Micardis, one of the brand names of the drug, has disputed these findings. Although researchers are not sure why the drugs increase cancer risk, tests on animals point toward the growth of new blood vessels, which could increase tumor growth.